


to whom you belong

by Ramabear (RyMagnatar)



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Blood and Gore, Cloud!Xanxus, Flame Harmonization (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Flameswap, Gen, KHR Rarepair Week, M/M, Mist & Sky!Tsuna, Possible Character Death, Sky!Hibari
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:15:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24656683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyMagnatar/pseuds/Ramabear
Summary: Flameswap AU:Reborn's having some trouble getting Tsuna to draw out his sky flames, despite all his best efforts. When he lets Timoteo in on this particular problem, Timoteo decides that the best thing is to send a cloud to Namimori to bond with Tsuna. Perhaps a full guardianship will be enough to draw out the boy's sky flames.Reborn isn't the least bit surprised when that plan falls apart.
Relationships: Hibari Kyouya/Xanxus
Comments: 52
Kudos: 182
Collections: KHR Rare Pair Week 2020





	1. Not a Report

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [KHR_Rare_Pair_Week_2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/KHR_Rare_Pair_Week_2020) collection. 



> this is part of khr rarepair week 2020. prompt: flameswap

Timoteo picked up his phone, smiling slightly when he saw that the ID was Reborn’s. He hadn’t heard much from him in recent weeks and was anxious for an update on the Sawada boy. He answered the call and put the phone to his ear. 

“Timoteo speaking,” he said. 

“I have a bit of a situation here,” Reborn said, immediately cutting to the chase. Timoteo’s smile fell at the tone of his voice. “You have some time to talk, or do I need to be brief?”

Timoteo grimaced. He stood in the hallway on his way back to his office to have a meeting but stopped at hearing that. “Be brief, but I’d like a more in-depth call later.”

“Sure,” Reborn said, and then he jumped right into it. “Good news, the kid has flames after all. Lots of trial and error, mostly trial, and they finally showed up. They’re clear and strong ones, which is great. Bad news is that they’re not sky flames. They’re mist.”

Timoteo closed his eyes and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “That can’t be, Reborn. I saw the boy’s flames myself when he was a child. They were sky flames.”

“Perhaps they were,” Reborn said, “But they’re not anymore. Don’t ask me how. I don’t know. I can only tell you what I’ve seen, and they’re mist flames, no question about it.”

“Fine, fine,” Timoteo said. This wasn’t great, but- “We can work with this. Just go ahead and keep working with him and we’ll figure out the guardian situation and find some sky he can bond to and-”

“Ah,” Reborn cut him off, “Before you get too far with that thought, there’s worse news.”

“What is it?” 

“He’s already bonded,” Reborn said, “There’s a sky here already, and he’s…” 

The hesitation in Reborn’s voice makes Timoteo’s stomach drop. Whatever he’s about to say is not a good thing. It’s very much a bad thing. 

“He’s not exactly an _active_ sky,” Reborn said. His words danced delicately around the subject, a careful description of a dangerous situation, “But he’s not exactly an _inactive_ sky. During my attempts to pull the sky out of the boy, _he_ became interested in the activities. It turns out he didn’t know about the flames but had subconsciously been tapping into them. Shortly after he awakened them, it became clear that he had already acquired several others suitable to be guardians, including the boy. 

“On top of that, this new sky has familial connections to the underground. I haven’t been able to ascertain whether or not he’s planning on following in their footsteps. He’s… not very talkative. Difficult to get close to. Even though most of his acquired guardians are also teenagers, none of them are willing to open up about it either. I’m not entirely sure if they’re purposefully obtuse or if they simply do not know.”

Timoteo stands there, wordlessly staring at the wall. The mist flames he could’ve worked with. They could’ve found a passive enough sky to follow the boy if they had to, but only if they had been able to force a harmonization between them. Even if it wasn’t a perfect match, the strength of a first-time harmonization bond could sustain them well enough not to cause any serious issues. 

But to break one bond in order to forge another…

“This new sky,” he asked, “How malleable is he?”

Reborn laughed. 

Oh, that was not a good sign at _all._

Timoteo could feel a headache forming behind his eyes. “I’m going to need some time to figure out the next steps, Reborn. And a full report on the situation as well.”

There was a strange levity in Reborn’s voice as he responded, “Now, my friend, you do remember that this is a _favor_ for you, not a business contract. I’ll be happy to talk to you more in-depth later, but I believe a _report_ is a little outside of bounds here.”

“Of course,” Timoteo said, “My apologies. Consider it a slip of the tongue, as this is quite shocking information. I’ll send you times when I’ll be available, and you can make the call at your leisure.” 

“Until then, my friend,” Reborn said, speaking seriously once more, “Ciao.” 

* * *

It wasn’t too unusual for Xanxus to get summoned in to talk to someone official in the Vongola hierarchy. After all, he had a more than decent ranking in the Varia, was a proficient assassin they had contracted before, and he had been practically adopted by Visconti when he was younger. Though he’d never spent a lot of time around Timoteo himself, his early development of intense cloud flames had brought him to the attention of the Vongola family. He had worked hard to pay back the debt he felt he owed to them when they pulled him from obscurity, and working with the Varia and doing work for them directly went into that. 

He was without his partner for the moment, as Squalo had taken some personal time to train, so he headed up to the mansion on his own. Xanxus arrived a few minutes before his meeting, parked his bike to the side of the main entrance, and left behind his helmet. He gave a nod in greeting to the doorman and stepped inside. Another house staff member directed him to where his meeting was- not in one of the first floor rooms but up on the second floor. 

The first thread of concern manifested itself when he turned the corner in the hallway and saw Visconti standing in the hall, hands clasped together in front of himself, waiting. Xanxus had not been to this part of the mansion before. He wasn’t sure whose offices these belonged to, but he had a suspicion it wasn’t some mid-level flunky. 

Visconti greeted him with a nod and a quiet, “Good morning, Xanxus.”

“Morning, Visconti,” Xanxus said warily. 

“You look to be in good health,” Visconti said with a slight smile, “The Varia has been treating you well?”

“Well enough,” Xanxus said. “You’re not looking half bad yourself, old man.”

That got him a bit more of a smile, which eased some of the tension gathered in Xanxus’s gut. Visconti gave a shake of his head and reached for the door handle. “Unfortunately, this is not a meeting that is much for pleasantries. Please remember to mind yourself when speaking with the boss,” he said. Then he opened the door and gestured for Xanxus to step inside. 

Without allowing himself to show any hesitation, Xanxus went in. 

Vongola Nono sat behind a wide desk upon which there were several neat stacks of paperwork and a closed laptop computer. He wore a suit outfit similar to the kind that Visconti had on though he showed more age in his features than the cloud guardian. Xanxus knew that Visconti and Nono were of a similar age, but looking at Nono in front of him, he could tell that this was the man who bore more weight of responsibility. 

He smiled pleasantly to Xanxus, which was at least a sign that he _probably_ wasn’t pissed off with Xanxus for some reason. God only knew that Tyr never looked half as pleasant whenever Xanxus got dragged into his office for one reason or another. 

Though the desk dominated the room, there were a few other pieces of furniture in place; a chair opposite Timoteo's desk, several tall bookshelves along either wall, a couch tucked off to one side, and a low coffee table in front of it. The colors of the room were dark woods with neutral tones of grey, cream, and navy blue. Any odd spots of bright color came from various books on the wall and a few pieces of art on the wall. 

“Thank you for joining me today, Xanxus,” Nono gestured to the chair on the other side of the desk from him, “Please, have a seat.”

Xanxus was glad that it was Visconti at his back and not any of the other guardians. He knew Visconti reasonably well. It was another half point towards this being a friendly but serious meeting. If Nono had wanted to offset him, he could have brought in another guardian. 

That is if he wasn’t trying to lull Xanxus into a false sense of security, only to have Visconti be the one to betray Xanxus. It was possible, but Xanxus thought it was unlikely. There was a weird sense of nobility within the Vongola that tended to extend to their associates, and the Varia, for all that they were a semi-bloodthirsty band of assassins, were an extension of the Vongola. 

Xanxus took the seat. He thought for a second about returning the pleasantries, but he remembered Visconti’s words and so went with a different tact. “How can I be of service, Vongola Nono?”

Nono rested his hands on his desk, one overlapping the other. “How aware are you of the current situation regarding the succession to the Vongola family leadership?” 

Xanxus frowned. “I’m aware of the unfortunate deaths of the three possible candidates, Enrico, Massimo, and Federico. It has left the question of succession a little open-ended.”

“Indeed it has,” Nono said, “There is a little known answer to that question, however. A possible fourth candidate for the position, one that hasn’t been considered before now because it was always assumed one of the three would be able to succeed me as the Tenth.”

Xanxus stared at him for a moment, wracking his brain for information. Who could be the fourth candidate? The rumor was that it had to be a blood descendant of the Vongola Primo; the rings of flame that the guardians and the boss used were somehow tied to this blood. Did Nono have an unknown child out there somewhere that he had hidden away in secret? Was there another adult relative that had been secreted away?

“You are familiar with Iemitsu Sawada, are you not?” Nono asked.

Xanxus clamped his mouth shut so that his jaw did not drop. He cleared his throat and then said, “I am familiar with the man, sir.” 

That was certainly one word to use to describe their almost instant animosity towards each other. There was just something about Iemitsu that had always rubbed Xanxus the wrong way, and he had never been able to trust that the man was as friendly to him and others as he appeared to be.

“Sawada is a descendant of the Primo,” Nono said slowly, leadingly. “And a descendant of the Primo must be the Vongola boss.”

Xanxus’s eye twitched. “I had heard that rumor,” he said, “I wasn’t sure if it was one to believe.”

“It is.”

“Am I to understand that Sawada is the current successor as the Tenth?” Xanxus asked, hoping with all of his being that that wasn’t true. 

Nono blinked a few times and then chuckled, shaking his head, “Oh no. Not Iemitsu. While he’s a working member of the CEDEF, he cannot be a candidate.”

Xanxus let out his caught breath in a relieved sigh.

“His son is, however, a viable candidate as successor.”

“I’m sorry,” Xanxus said, “Did you say _his son?_ Iemitsu has a child?”

“And a wife,” Nono said, “Both safely ensconced outside of Italy. It was never his intention to have them be part of the Vongola, but unfortunately, needs must. His son is the only one who can be my successor. He has agreed to have the boy educated and brought into the family. When he is old enough, he will become the Tenth.”

Xanxus nodded, silently digesting this information. Iemitsu had a whole fucking family out in the world somewhere? Where? In France? Spain? England? What kind of woman would marry him? And he had a son as well? How old was this boy? Five? Fifteen? Twenty?

Nono sighed, “I have asked Reborn to go out and educate him, as he has done before, and the report he gave back has been… Interesting.”

“Interesting, sir?”

“Reborn has managed to get the boy’s flames to manifest, but there are complications with them. He has taken several steps to draw them further out and to strengthen them, but has had only marginal success.”

Xanxus nodded again. “And how do I feature in this, sir?”

Was he supposed to go out there and what, kill the boy? Someone causing trouble? The wife? And why send him when Reborn was already there?

“There is a distinct lack of cloud flame users in his hometown,” Nono said, looking directly into Xanxus’s eyes as he spoke, “There are rains, mists, suns, even storms, and lightning, but there are no viable clouds for his guardianship. With the complications with the boy’s flames, it is my belief that he needs proper exposure to all the flames of the sky of adequate strength.” There was a suggestive silence as he said this, Nono’s brows rising slightly.

“You mean bonding,” Xanxus said quietly. “You want to create a bond between my cloud flame and his sky flame.” 

Nono smiled and spread his hands wide, “You understand the situation perfectly. The boy has had trouble embracing the harmonizing aspect of his flames. He needs a balance around him to do so. Fortunately all he is missing is a cloud. One like you, Xanxus.”

Xanxus bit his tongue, holding back his first and second reaction to Nono’s words. He held perfectly still, refusing the anger that crawled up from his belly and into his throat with the taste of bile. Nono wanted him to go out there and _harmonize_ with Iemitsu’s civilian spawn? Some soft, untrained, untested, uneducated little kid?

Xanxus swallowed the lump in his throat. “How old _is_ he, sir?” 

“The boy is turning fifteen this year,” Nono said. He drew his hands back to lay them flat in front of himself, “Reborn has a lot of work to do, but plenty of time to do so. And with you there to help him and to guide the boy, I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“And this would be a permanent bond?” Xanxus asked, “Once the boy became the Tenth, I’d become the cloud guardian for him?”

“Assuming that is what works best for him, yes,” Nono said.

“Ah,” Xanxus said. He stared straight ahead but unseeingly. His mind raced down various tracks at once. The fact that Nono thought he could just ask Xanxus to uproot his life completely- The fact that this was Iemitsu’s kid he was being told to bond with- The fact that Nono wanted him to harmonize with this _fifteen-year-old kid-_ The fact that this would be his first bond to a sky, a formative experience, a lasting emotional connection as far as Xanxus understood it- 

The fact that, once again, it was his cloud flames that made him important to and a tool to be used by the Vongola. 

Xanxus felt sick to his stomach, but he also knew what the answer was to Nono’s unspoken request. There was only one answer. Nono had confided in him the secret of his hidden successor. Visconti stood at the door to the room. Between the two of them, Xanxus would not be able to escape the room alive without doing something incredibly drastic. And even then it wasn't a sure thing.

“When would you like me to leave, sir?”


	2. A Scuffle on Arrival

“So you’re the help he decided to send me, are you?”

Xanxus stopped walking and turned towards the sound of that voice. He lifted one hand from his pocket in a wave, “Reborn. It’s been a while.”

Reborn dropped down from the tree he’d been in onto the ledge that ran along the sidewalk so he stood at about Xanxus’s head height. He looked exactly the same as the last time Xanxus had seen him; less than three feet tall wearing a neat black suit, black hat and with green lizard coiled on the brim. “I’ll be honest, Xanxus,” Reborn said, “You weren’t the last person I expected to be sent, but you also weren’t the first.”

“Boss said you needed a cloud,” Xanxus said, defaulting to calling Timoteo his boss even though, technically, Tyr was his boss, as the leader of the Varia. “Here I am.”

“A cloud’s not going to be able to fix this,” Reborn said. “What I need is the ability to teleport back, say, twelve years or so. Then I can stop that old fool from making this mess in the first place. What did he tell you about the boy?”

“You got his flames to appear but he’s not able to summon them properly,” Xanxus said. “Boss sent me to force a harmonization.”

The blunt honesty isn’t usually Xanxus’s default when talking to fellow mafioso, but Reborn was a special case. Xanxus had mostly avoided being the target of the cursed baby’s insatiable need for chaos but he’d been around the Vongola long enough to know that Reborn required a certain kind of handling. Some people went and fell for every trick he came up with, some of them were playfully hostile towards him, some straight up feared him despite his size. 

Xanxus had settled on a strict honesty policy, flavored with a great deal of respect and deferment. Reborn was his better and his elder, despite his size, and Xanxus had no interest in making the baby his enemy. Or making himself interesting to Reborn.

And he greatly pitied this kid that Reborn had taken under his wing. 

A moment of silence passed between them. Reborn pulled out a lollipop from his pocket, unwrapped it, put it in his mouth and stuffed the wrapper back in his pocket. He gave a thoughtful hum and then dug out another sweet, offering it to Xanxus.

Xanxus took it. 

Reborn watched him as he unwrapped it and put it in his mouth, pocketing the wrapper as well. 

“You’re missing some key details,” Reborn said at last, “Which I’m discovering is how we got into this situation in the first place. Iemitsu kept the whole family in the dark about his work, which wasn’t totally surprising given the circumstances, but what information he did provide the boss was almost completely fabricated. Not maliciously, fortunately for him, but simply because he is a deadbeat dad.” Reborn shook his head, “But that’s not important here. Come on, let’s walk and talk.”

He turned on his heel and began to walk down the wall. Xanxus joined him, shoving his hand back into his pocket and keeping pace with Reborn as they walked down the street. 

“It’s true the boy’s flames have manifested,” Reborn said, “He’s got a strong primary mist flame but an incredibly stunted sky flame as a secondary. It takes a great deal of concentrated effort on his part to bring out the sky at all. He defaults to mist instinctively and, for better or worse, he’s been subconsciously using it for the last eight to ten years or so.”

They reached a corner and instead of turning, Reborn jumped from the wall and landed on Xanxus’s shoulder. He took a seat there and gestured forward with his lollipop, “Keep walking. We’re going up three blocks than we’ll turn right,” he said, “The good news is that even with how passive his sky flame is, he’s quite capable of harmonizing. In fact, he’s so capable that he’s already done it with a handful of other flames. There’s almost enough for a full guardianship. The bad news is that one of those bonds is to a full fledged sky- as in he’s that sky’s primary mist bond. 

“The worse news is that as soon as this sky discovered his flames he had a nearly full set of guardians within a month.” Reborn sighed and pat his small hand on Xanxus’s temple, “He’s only missing one.”

Xanxus stopped. 

“It gets better,” Reborn said with a chuckle, “Because the primary sky user has bonded with the boy, who is a secondary sky with his own bonds, the rest of the bonds have started to double up too. Two mists, two storms, two suns, two lightnings. There’s only a single rain right now, but I’m sure that won’t last. And keep walking, Xanxus. We’re not there yet.”

Xanxus started walking again. “Yeah. The boss didn’t mention any of that. He didn’t even mention the kid was a mist primary.” Xanxus swore under his breath, “What the fuck does he expect me to actually do here?”

“Bond with the boy,” Reborn said, “And then do that territorial thing that you clouds do, I suppose.”

“He said that he wanted to expose him to all the flames, to see if that would help his harmonization.”

“Oh joy,” Reborn said dryly, “A prayer circle of flames.”

Xanxus barked out in laughter. He quickly shook off the good humor, however, and said, “This whole situation is fucked. There’s no way that just bonding with the kid is going to make this better.”

“That’s what you’ve been told to do, Xanxus. Are you going to disobey your boss?”

Xanxus grunted. He walked on in silence for a few minutes, thinking about it, half heartedly chewing on the candy Reborn had given him. He made the turn Reborn had indicated and followed the baby’s pointing finger until he ended up outside a wide open gate in front of a school. Xanxus came to a stop in the center of the gate, hands in his pockets again, staring at the building.

Reborn leaned his elbow on Xanxus’s head, gesturing with his lollipop as he spoke. “Namimori High. The kid started school here this year. Almost all of the guardians attend here as well.”

“How much of what you told me have you told the boss?” Xanxus asked.

A pause and then, “Some. The important bits.”

“Does he know that all they’re missing is a cloud?”

“Yes.”

“Does he know that they’ve doubled up the rest of the set, sans a second rain?”

A longer pause. “I think I might’ve skipped telling him that part.”

“He wants this kid to be the Vongola Decimo,” Xanxus said, looking at Reborn from the corner of his eye.

“He does.”

“Do you think that’s going to be possible?”

Silence. 

Reborn stared straight ahead, twirling the stick of his lollipop without a word.

A bell rang out from the school in front of them. Seconds passed and soon students began to exit the building, chattering with each other as they did so.

Reborn suddenly jumped from Xanxus’s shoulder and landed nimbly on the gate’s post. “You’re going to want to head on to the Sawada household if you don’t want to get bitten to death.”

“What?” Xanxus asked. 

Reborn grinned at him. “The active sky behaves like a cloud and you, Xanxus, are in his territory. It’s best not to loiter here.” With that, he jumped off again, vanishing into the trees around the school. 

“What the hell does that mean?” Xanxus asked. He took a step back, looking warily around. 

He knew what the kid looked like, the Sawada boy, the one Timoteo had sent him to bond with, but the man hadn’t given him much information about the rest of the guardians. He knew two of them had been brought over from Italy, one being Reborn’s request, the other sent by Iemitsu, but the rest of them were strangers.

Xanxus warily pulled back, moving across the street and leaning up against the wall, watching the school and the students leaving it. He caught plenty of looks as he loitered there, students spying him and whispering to each other, but Xanxus didn’t pay much attention to them. He was looking for Sawada. 

He’d been there for almost ten minutes before he noticed a flicker of something strange moving away from the school. Xanxus tried to focus on it but his gaze kept slipping off of the vague motion. Annoyed, he pushed off the wall and began to walk across the street, closer to the school. Whatever it was that obscured his vision could very well be the-

Xanxus’s thoughts scattered as he instinctively dropped into a crouch. He felt a whiff of air rush over his head as he just missed being struck across the back of his head. Xanxus then slid his foot back, twisting his body to miss a second downward attack that would’ve caught him across the collarbone. He pulled his hands from his pockets, backing up a few steps to get a good view of his attacker.

Some dark-haired teenager stood a few feet in front of him, tonfas gripped in either hand and running up the outside of his arms. He gave Xanxus a flat, dangerous look. “You’re trespassing,” he said, “Only students are allowed on school grounds. Leave.”

The students that were at the gate circled around them, most of them hurrying past instead of staying to watch, which told Xanxus plenty about how common this kind of thing must be. 

“Let me guess,” Xanxus said, “You’re the one who will bite me to death if I loiter here?”

His eyes narrowed slightly. Xanxus saw the flex of his fingers on his weapons.

Slowly, he lifted his hands, “I don’t mean to cause trouble. I’m here looking for my cousin. I’ll just wait across the street if that’s all right with you.” He chanced a glance over the courtyard. It was mostly empty now but the Sawada kid had to be there somewhere. Xanxus hadn’t seen him yet. Maybe he was sticking around for a club activity?

He only had a second or two to look before he was attacked again. Xanxus bit back a curse and dodged the quick strikes, moving back into the street and away from the school. He refused to strike back because he was pretty sure that this kid was a civilian, even if he didn’t act like it. This _had_ to be the territorial sky that Reborn had mentioned, which meant that his coterie of guardians were at the school. 

Xanxus _really_ didn’t want to get into a fight with a sky and his host if he could avoid it. He just wanted to see and talk to the Sawada boy, one on one. 

Besides, his primary weapons were guns, and drawing a gun would only escalate this fight out of control. 

There was a point when Xanxus stood in the middle of the street, shifting and stepping to avoid the attacking sky that he noticed a shift in the boy’s face. His expression went from cold and aggressive to watchful, almost curious. He increased his speed and his aggressiveness the farther they got from the school, rather than taper off the attacks once Xanxus was off his territory. 

Xanxus reached the far side of the street before either one of them got another word in. He’d fully given up on watching the students exiting and was looking for an out to this fight that didn’t require a full-on sprint. He knew if he turned his back to run, this sky would hunt him down. 

“You don’t bite back,” the kid said, pausing his onslaught to stare at Xanxus. “But you could.”

Xanxus shook out his left arm a little and rolled his shoulders before bringing his hands up again in an open-palmed defensive stance. “You seem to be doing enough biting for the both of us,” he said.

“Fight me,” he demanded. 

“No,” Xanxus said.

“You will fight me.”

“Are you sure about that?” 

He hesitated for a moment. “Why not? Are you a toothless carnivore?”

“I’m not here to fight you,” Xanxus said. 

“You will fight me,” he repeated himself, taking a step forward. “Or you will not leave.”

Xanxus tensed. He could see that the kid was about to spring forward, to strike at him just as hard as he had before. He also thought he could see an exit strategy, though it wasn’t a pleasant one.

“You can’t make me do anything I don’t want to do,” Xanxus said. 

This seemed to irritate him enough that he flung himself forward, tonfas first. Xanxus waited until he was fully committed to his attack before dropping his arms and his defense. He stood there, unmoving and exposed.

The teen stopped just short of actually hitting him, arm extended, his weapon a mere inch from Xanxus’s jaw. His eyes had widened and he was breathing heavier than before, as it took some effort to stop all his momentum when he did. 

Xanxus tilted his head until his jaw nudged against the edge of the tonfa. He stared into those dark eyes and grinned. “You can’t force a cloud,” Xanxus said quietly, “They’re like the mist, except bolder.” He took a step back, just enough to disengage from the teenager, then he turned his back on him.

He heard the scuff of a shoe behind himself as he walked away, but there was no following attack. Xanxus’s heart hammered hard in his chest but he kept his arms loose at his side and his shoulders squared. He wasn’t afraid of the sky, quite the opposite, actually. He was thrilled by the short fight. The kid had some serious potential _._ He had skill and stamina and honor. Xanxus promised himself, as a reward for all the bullshit he was going to have to do for Timoteo, he was going to fight that sky.

He didn’t care if he won. He just wanted to fight him without holding back.

That fight alone would make all this worth it.

* * *

Xanxus watched the clouds gathering overhead as he waited for someone to answer the front door to the Sawada house.

He’d spent the better part of the afternoon searching for it and eventually found it tucked away in a little residential neighborhood not too far from the school. The air had begun to cool and the sky darkened as the time passed and he knew that it would begin to rain before the sun had fully set.

The door opened a few inches and a teenager peered out at him from the narrow opening. Spiky brown hair, big brown eyes; this had to be the kid. 

“Sawada Tsunayoshi?” Xanxus asked, just to be sure.

“Who’s asking?” Sawada asked back.

“I’m Xanxus,” he grinned, “Your cousin.”

Sawada frowned uncertainly. “I don’t have any cousins,” he said, “My parents were only children.”

Xanxus shrugged, “Distant cousins. Your dad works with my uncle in the same family back home.”

“Where’s that?” Sawada asked, frowning harder.

“Italy.”

Sawada hissed and drew back, “I _knew_ it.”

Xanxus wedged his foot into the door’s opening to keep Sawada from closing it. The chain holding the door in place rattled as he pushed. “Knew what, cousin?” He leaned forward but didn’t push any more on the door than he had with his foot. Could he push it open? Probably. But he was _trying_ to be nice. If he had to bond with this kid, he didn’t want to frighten him.

Well. He _shouldn’t_ frighten him, whether or not he wanted to.

“Reborn said you were coming,” Sawada said, “I should’ve believed him- Why didn’t I believe him- This is way too much-”

“Reborn’s gossiping about me? Why that cheeky little fuck. What did he tell you, kid? What’s he saying about your cousin?”

“We’re _not_ cousins,” Sawada grunted out. He was really leaning his weight against the door. Xanxus shifted to brace his lower leg against the door and moved his other leg back to support his stance. 

“We’re close enough,” Xanxus said, “Would you prefer I called us brothers?”

“I’d prefer if you left,” Sawada said, “I’m not going to be a mafia boss! I already told Reborn a million times! I don’t care about the flames. I don’t care about the Vongola. I like living here and I like being nobody. Just go back home! Pick someone else!”

_I bet Reborn hasn’t told Timoteo about this either,_ Xanxus thought. He gritted his teeth for a moment. _But what if he has?_ Had he just been set up to fail? Had Timoteo sent him here to bond with this kid because of something Xanxus had done? Was he being removed from the politics in Italy for some reason? There was no way that the old man actually thought Xanxus could drag the kid back to Italy just because he was his cloud.

Didn’t he understand what kind of cloud Xanxus _was?_

“Look, kid,” Xanxus curled his fingers around the edge of the door and put his weight against it. The door creaked but stopped moving as Tsuna couldn’t move it against Xanxus’s resistance. “I have a job to do here and I always do my fucking job. I can’t go against the boss unless I want to end up skewered out on the front lawn as a reminder to every other fuckwad who fails or bails, all right? You don’t want to be the Tenth? Well, I don’t want to bond with you but here we fucking are.”

Sawada’s eyes went even wider as he stared at Xanxus, “What? You- You’re here to-”

“Do you really think Reborn will let you walk away from this after all the work he’s put into you? Do you really think you and your friends are safe to back out? Vongola knows you, kid. They know the names of your closest friends and guardians. They know who your goddamn mother is and where you live. People will die if you try to seriously back out now and I can guarantee you that they’ll save you for last to make you understand who is responsible for all those deaths.”

Sawada’s eyes gleamed with unshed tears, “Reborn never said- He- He-”

“Of course he didn’t,” Xanxus said, keeping his tone hard as stone, “Reborn has a different job than I do. He’s the carrot. I’m the stick. You’re Vongola family, Sawada, just like me. Blood in. Blood out. That’s the fucking way it is.”

Those tears fell down his cheeks. “But I never wanted this,” Sawada whispered.

Xanxus softened. He couldn’t help it. “I know,” he said gently. “You’ll get used to it. I’ll be there to help.”

Sawada closed his eyes. He rested his forehead against the door, crying softly. Xanxus felt a throb in his heart. Fuck, this poor kid…

He eased up on the door and slid his hand through the gap. Xanxus pressed the back of his hand to Sawada’s cheek, wiping at his tears with his thumb. Sawada sniffled, hunching his shoulders, but he didn’t pull away from the touch. 

From somewhere behind him in the house, Xanxus heard a woman calling out his name. 

“Tsu-kun! Tsuna! Dinner’s ready!”

Xanxus withdrew his hand, “Go eat, little Tenth. I’ll find you tomorrow and we’ll talk without a door between us, hm?”

Sawada blinked a few times and pulled away. He opened his mouth, as if he were going to say something, but decided against it. He nodded silently and stepped back.

Xanxus pulled his foot free of the door and backed up so Sawada could shut the door. 

Once alone again, Xanxus sighed heavily. “This is such bullshit,” he muttered to himself. What the hell was Timoteo even thinking?

He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts. Turning, he stepped away from the porch, hands in his jacket pocket, and a scowl on his face. He made it to the end of the yard before stopping and looking back. Someone was watching him.

He caught sight of Reborn, sitting in the corner of an upstairs window, his green lizard on his knee, his hat tipped low so his eyes were shaded. Reborn gave him a nod. Xanxus nodded back.

Then he turned and walked away. 

Distantly, thunder rolled.


	3. Meeting Nana

When Xanxus came back to the Sawada place in the morning, there was someone else walking up to the front door. First glance told Xanxus he was another teen in a school uniform, probably a friend of the kid’s. Xanxus loitered near the gate, content to wait there despite the brisk air that morning. The teen didn’t notice him until after he’d knocked on the door, looking over his shoulder and catching sight of Xanxus. He gaped for a second, wide-eyed, and looked like he was about to jump down the steps and run up to Xanxus, shouting and waving his hands in a way very familiar to him when the front door opened.

Sawada’s mother stood there, greeting the teenager and then looking past him when he pointed to Xanxus.

Xanxus gave a little wave. He even smiled. 

The teenager proved he had good instincts by going pale and pulling back. 

On the other hand, the woman side-stepped him, putting her hand to her mouth as she called, “Sir? Can I help you?”

Xanxus reminded himself that he was trying to be _nice_ and walked forward. He slipped his hands into his pockets, making a point to keep his posture relaxed and his gait leisurely. The teenager stared him down, standing half in front of the woman to protect her. 

“Good morning,” Xanxus said.

“Good morning,” she replied. She absently patted the boy on the shoulder, “It’s all right, dear,” she said gently to him.

“Mama, he’s-”

“My name is Xanxus,” Xanxus said, “I work for the same company as Iemitsu.” He smiled charmingly, “Are you Sawada Nana?”

Nana lit up like a sunrise over the mountains as soon as Xanxus said Iemitsu’s name. “Oh, yes, I am! Did Iemitsu send you here? Is there something I can do to help?”

“Mama-” the kid tried again, quiet but more frantic.

Xanxus ignored him as handily as Nana did, “I’m here to talk to your son, Tsuna, actually. But I would be happy to tell you how Iemitsu is doing if you'd like. We don’t work directly together, but our paths cross frequently enough.”

“Oh, would you please?” Nana was breathless as she asked that, “In fact, please come in, I’ll make some coffee- There’s still breakfast if you’re hungry. Tsu-kun isn’t quite ready for the day, yet, and he has school besides-”

“Mama, wait,” the teen pulled on her arm just as she was moving to the side to let Xanxus past, “We can’t trust this guy! He’s a total stranger, and he’s- he’s dangerous!” He seemed a little hung up on how to describe Xanxus, looking frantically between her and Xanxus.

“It’s fine, Gokudera,” Nana said gently, patting Gokudera on the head, “He works with Iemitsu! And Iemitsu always says I can trust the people he works with!”

Gokudera looked appropriately horrified. Xanxus blinked a little in surprise, though he kept his smile up easily. 

_Do you_ **_want_ ** _your wife to be taken advantage of, Iemitsu? Or do you really think that you can hide her forever?_

Something probably should be done about this.

“I’m sure Gokudera means well, Nana,” Xanxus said, “It’s healthy for him to be a little paranoid about the people who come close to his famiglia.” 

Gokudera jolted again and let out a hiss at Xanxus, “Don’t say it like _that.”_

Nana just beamed at them both, “Gokudera is very protective, that’s true! But please, come in, Xanxus!” She managed to usher Gokudera off to one side, despite his vocal protests. Xanxus crossed the threshold with a smile.

The inside of the house was as normal as anything. There were pictures on the wall and a spot for shoes and coats near the front door. It smelled like breakfast and he could hear indistinct chatter from another room. Nana delightedly showed him in with Gokudera a scowling shadow in her footsteps. He kept glaring at Xanxus, something Nana either deliberately ignored or was actually ignorant of. It was a bit hard to tell. Xanxus had met plenty of women who played airheaded right up until the moment they were pulling the knife out of your guts. Sometimes even after. 

The kitchen and dining area was a miniature maelstrom of activity. There were dishes out, breakfast served and half eaten, and two young children sat at the table, eating and talking. Reborn was there too, sitting in an honest to God highchair, though without the tray, legs crossed at the knee, coffee in one hand, a folded morning paper in the other.

“Morning Xanxus,” Reborn said with a head tilt in his direction.

“Good morning Reborn,” Xanxus said.

Gokudera looked horrified at this. His mouth hung open as he gaped at Reborn in shock. 

Only because Reborn was there, and only because Xanxus knew he liked this kind of teasing, he reached over and tapped the underside of Gokudera’s chin. “You’ll catch flies if you keep that up, Gokudera-kun.”

Gokudera made a horrified choking noise and jumped away from him. Reborn’s eyes creased briefly in amusement while Gokudera sputtered at Xanxus like an offended cat. Xanxus left him there to sputter and went to sit at the table.

Nana quickly brought him over a cup of coffee. “If you’re at all hungry,” she said, “Please feel free to serve yourself something.”

“Thank you,” Xanxus said. 

“It seems you’ve met Reborn already,” she said, “We also have Lambo and I-pin at the table today. Kids, why don’t you say hi to Xanxus?”

The two children finally noticed him then. They had to be about six or seven, young enough to be messy at the table still but probably old enough for school of their own. The girl stared at him while the boy jumped up to stand on his seat and pointed at Xanxus. “GAH!”

Nana put her hands on her hips, “Now Lambo, what have I told you about standing on your seat during meal times?”

Lambo blinked at her. His hand lowered slightly and then he mumbled, “Not to?”

“That’s right,” she said, “So please sit in your chair for breakfast. And be nice to our guest. He’s very kindly come to see Tsuna and give me news about Iemitsu.”

“Okay Mama,” Lambo sank down with a pout, “He’s just funny looking. I think I’ve seen him before.”

_“Former Bovino,”_ Reborn said in Italian, not looking up from his paper.

_“I never would’ve guessed,”_ Xanxus said dryly before taking a drink of his coffee. Like the cow print clothing and the damn horns didn’t make that obvious.

Nana sat down across from Xanxus, next to the two children. She managed them handily, getting them refocused on their breakfast before turning her attention back to Xanxus. She leaned forward, smiling happily, “So what can you tell me about my husband?”

“He’s in good health,” Xanxus said, “And he’s been working hard. He’s had a few large projects that he’s pulled through recently. They were difficult jobs but he managed them well enough.” Xanxus spoke to Nana but he could feel both Gokudera and Reborn paying attention to him. 

“Oh he’s such a hard worker,” Nana said, “I really worry about him! Has he been getting enough rest? How has he been eating?”

“Surely not as well as he could be,” Xanxus said, “And honestly, I think the man is due a vacation. I understand what it’s like for him. Some jobs you just can’t leave them alone until they’re finished and they can become much larger than you anticipated once you start them.”

Nana put a hand to her cheek, “My poor Iemitsu. If only he could come home for a break. It must be awful to be working so hard and so much. These past four years must have been so hard on him.”

“I’m sure he tries to visit as much as he can,” Xanxus said, “He misses you terribly.”

She nodded to that, “And I miss him so much. When you go back home, would you be able to tell him that for me?” 

“I’ll surely tell him that the next time I see him,” Xanxus said with genuine feeling. _Has it really been four years since he’s seen her? What the hell is that guy thinking?_

Before Xanxus could continue, there was a shocked shout from the doorway into the kitchen. He looked over, unsurprised to see Tsuna standing there in his uniform, pointing at Xanxus. “You!”

“Tsu-kun!” Nana scolded before anyone else could even speak, “Don’t be rude to our guest. Xanxus works with your father, you know? He’s come to talk to you and tell me about how Iemitsu is doing!”

Tsuna’s hand dropped and he visibly looked like he swallowed the words _no he’s not!_

Xanxus felt his smile turn sharp. They were all hiding the truth from Nana. Every single one of them.

He glanced at Reborn, catching his eye over the rim of Reborn’s coffee cup. _“She has no idea, does she?”_ he asked in Italian. He noticed Gokudera perk up, paying attention to them, and even Tsuna looked on with an interested but confused frown.

_“That’s how it’s been so far,”_ Reborn replied, _“No one wants to upset her.”_

_“She’ll just end up killed because of it,”_ Xanxus said firmly. 

Gokudera leaned forward, _“She won’t. We wouldn’t let that-”_ He stopped talking when Xanxus looked at him. He bit his bottom lip hard and dropped his gaze.

Reborn set down his newspaper. The tension in the room grew heavier as he sat there, looking at Xanxus, his face impassive. Even the little kids were quiet, watching attentively. 

_“Are you suggesting we tell her?”_ Reborn asked.

_“If none of you can manage it,”_ Xanxus nodded, _“I’ll do it.”_

Nana looked nervously between Xanxus and Reborn. She didn’t speak, though, just watched, confused but smiling anyway. Tsuna came forward.

“I don’t really follow all of what you’re saying, but if it’s what I think it is then you can’t do it,” Tsuna said. He looked from Xanxus to Reborn as well, though most of his attention was on Reborn.

_“You haven’t even bonded with him yet,”_ Reborn said, ignoring Tsuna. 

_“It’s inevitable,”_ Xanxus replied.

_“Even if he doesn’t want it?”_

_“Did that stop you?”_ Xanxus said.

Reborn said nothing.

“Tenth,” Gokudera said, turning to Tsuna, “Is-” he stopped himself, glancing over to Nana. Her smile was gone now, distress making her face clouded. I-pin had practically crawled into her lap and held onto her tightly, as if her little arms could hug away Nana’s worry. 

“He knows what I’m here for,” Xanxus said, “And that there’s no avoiding it. Not at this point.”

“Tenth,” Gokudera said more insistently, looking to Tsuna for guidance or assurance or _something._

“Is- Is something the matter?” Nana asked quietly, her voice trembling. “What’s wrong?” She looked around the table, first to Tsuna, who looked down and away, then to Reborn, who said nothing. Then she looked at Xanxus. He met and held her gaze, “Please tell me what’s going on, Xanxus.”

He opened his mouth.

“Don’t,” Tsuna said sharply. “Don’t you dare.”

Xanxus looked at him. “You’re not my sky yet, kid. And you don’t protect people by leaving them ignorant. That worked fine when _no one_ knew who you were, but you can’t continue down this path in anonymity anymore. If you don’t tell her, one day the man at the door who says that he knows her husband and just wants to talk to her about him will be lying to her.”

“Reborn,” Tsuna turned to him, “Tell him that he can’t say anything. Tell him that he- he can’t tell her. You agreed to that. When I agreed to do this, you agreed to that!”

“I said _I_ wouldn’t tell her anything,” Reborn said, “But I didn’t say she’d stay in the dark forever. It’s the same with the girls. Eventually the truth will come out. Whether it is done by your words or the words of your enemies is the only question.”

Nana abruptly stood up, “Tsuna, Gokudera, you’re going to be late for school if you stay here. You need to hurry to class, but don’t forget your lunches!” She set I-pin down and hurried into the kitchen. Xanxus watched as she picked up two covered lunch boxes and brought them over. Gokudera rose stiffly from his seat. 

She pressed a cloth covered lunch in the hands of each boy. Then she cupped Tsuna’s face in her hands and said gently, “Don’t worry about Mama, okay Tsuna? It's my job to worry about you, not the other way around. It’s going to be fine, okay?”

“Don’t listen to him, Mama,” Tsuna said fervently, “Please don’t.”

“Go to school, Tsuna,” Nana leaned in and kissed his forehead. “Everything will be fine.”

“Better hurry,” Reborn said as he flipped his paper to a new page and picked it up to read again, “I heard that Hibari’s been extra keen on biting since he was left frustrated yesterday.” 

That got Gokudera to hurry away though Tsuna lingered for another moment or two. “Mama-”

“I’ll be fine,” Nana said, “I have Reborn and Xanxus here.”

Tsuna looked to Xanxus, his expression a mixture of anger and distrust. Xanxus looked back at him, saying nothing, doing nothing.

Some things were just inevitable. It was a lesson that Tsuna still needed to learn, it seemed.

Eventually he left the room too. The front door swung open and shut again and there was silence for a few heartbeats. 

Then at the table, Lambo poked his head up and said, “Tsu-nii didn’t have breakfast, Mama. Is he in trouble?”

“No he’s fine,” Nana said. When she turned back around, Xanxus could see her eyes shimmering with tears. “Everything’s fine.”

Damn it. These Sawadas were so easy to make weepy.

“Let’s finish getting you ready for the morning,” Nana said, “And then you and I-pin will go to school okay? Reborn will walk you this morning for Mama.” She gave a quick glance to Reborn and got a slight nod in return.

“Okay,” Lambo said, though he scowled at Reborn. Reborn didn’t even acknowledge him.

Reborn sipped his coffee. His eyes met Xanxus’s gaze over the rim of his cup and he lifted one eyebrow. _“And you say you haven’t bonded yet.”_

Xanxus huffed and looked away.

* * *

Kyouya didn’t often personally man the gates in the morning -there were better spots to find loitering herbivores than right by the school- but on this particular morning his primary concern was not the herd moving past him. 

Some unknown carnivore had appeared in his town out of thin air, _didn’t fight him,_ spouted nonsense about clouds and mists that could only be a hint to things that the babyman had told him about -had told him were _a secret-_ and then left before Kyouya could extract his name or the name of whomever he was calling his cousin. Not that Kyouya needed a name for this supposed cousin. The man looked Italian enough that there were only two real possibilities. 

Kyouya stepped out from around the side of the gate, narrowing his eyes briefly to see through the constructed shadows that typically enveloped the toothless carnivore cub and his follower, and blocked his path. 

Tsuna came to an abrupt stop, hands holding onto the strap of his backpack, eyes wide as he stared at Kyouya. “H-Hibari-san-”

“Who is he?” Kyouya demanded. 

Tsuna looked in confusion at Gokudera, but before he could ask the pointless question of _“who do you mean?”_ Kyouya cleared up that confusion.

“Your cousin,” Kyouya said. “Who is he?”

Tsuna’s face went through a series of emotions. Confusion turned to shock, which turned to anger, which slid into a set, resigned expression as he said, “Reborn said he’s from the Vongola. Nono chose him as my cloud guardian.”

Kyouya blinked. _“Your_ cloud?” he asked with all the implication set heavy on that possessive word. He could feel tension building along his shoulders as he thought of that carnivore bending a knee to Tsuna. The boy _could_ be a true carnivore, one day, but he wasn’t yet. 

“I don’t want him,” Tsuna said immediately, and that spark of anger came back as he leaned forward, “I want nothing to do with him! He just waltzed into my house like it was his! He’s worse than Reborn! He’s going to tell Mama about everything, and it’s going to freak her out so bad! We have to get rid of him, Hibari-san!”

“You don’t want him,” Kyouya reiterated his words back at him. He had to be absolutely sure.

Tsuna nodded emphatically. “I don’t. I don’t want a full guardian set, no matter what Reborn does or says. I’m _not_ going to run off to Italy and be some mafia boss.” He looked to Gokudera beside him, who was silent for this, grim-faced, “Sorry, Gokudera, but-”

“I know,” Gokudera said quietly.

Kyouya didn’t care for this tangent. He took a step towards Tsuna, making sure his foot scraped pavement in a particularly threatening way. Tsuna jumped and turned back to him, “You can have him, Hibari-san. He said he’s here to bond with me but if he bonds with you first-”

Bond? Kyouya didn’t care about that. He had plenty of these ‘bonds’ already. What he wanted was a lot less complicated than that. “I will bite him to death.”

Tsuna looked relieved, “He’s at my house right now,” he said, “I don’t know if he’s planning to stay there all day or what, Hibari-san. He probably has a hotel room somewhere around here that he’s staying at because he showed up this morning pretty early.”

Kyouya smiled. 

Tsuna put his hands together in supplication in front of his face and closed his eyes, “Please take care of Xanxus for me, Hibari-san! I’ll owe you one for sure!”

“I’m not doing this for you,” Kyouya said before walking past Tsuna and Gokudera. Oh no. This was all for himself.

He could already feel his heart pounding in his chest. If he backed this carnivore into a corner, just how vicious would he become? Kyouya was terribly excited to find out.


	4. A Challenge Answered

Kyouya makes a last-second decision _not_ to break open the front room window as his entrance into the Sawada house.

He makes that choice because as he walks up to the house, what he sees through that window is not what he expects. Tsuna’s mother sits with her head in her hands, visibly weeping while Xanxus sits on the other side of the couch, turned towards her with a sympathetic expression.

Besides, he tells himself when he slows down his steps and comes to a stop; his surprise attack wouldn’t have been a surprise anyway. As soon as he was within thirty feet of the house, Xanxus had turned and looked right at him with his expression shifting from sympathy to amusement. He didn’t face the window head-on, but he’d still turned right towards Kyouya as if he could sense him there.

Kyouya didn’t understand everything about the flames, not yet anyway, but he knew that part of his own awareness of people beyond what he could physically sense came from the orange flame of the sky that he had. He remembered Reborn telling him about the other forms, and he’d seen enough of the others to associate certain behaviors with their particular flames.

Then again, Xanxus came from the same violent, crime-ridden world that Reborn did. It might not be flames at all that had made him notice Kyouya. It could’ve just been the flicker of movement in his periphery. It could’ve only been the instinct of a carnivore sensing a rival in his territory.

Kyouya narrowed his eyes. Except the Sawada house was in Namimori, and all of Namimori was _Kyouya’s_ territory. Xanxus had no claim here.

So Kyouya _didn’t_ break the window. He had several good reasons not to and no good reason to do so. He went to the front door instead, found it unlocked, and walked inside. 

He arrived in silence, appearing in the doorway to the front room in which they sat. Nana was crying still, a soft, pathetic sound that bothered Kyouya to hear. Xanxus had turned toward him immediately, his expression going blank. He offered the woman no comforts, which also bothered Kyouya.

He glared at Xanxus accusingly. 

Xanxus lifted an eyebrow, “Can I help you?”

Kyouya wanted to fight him but the crying… “Did you do this?” he indicated Nana with a gesture of his chin.

Xanxus didn’t look at her, “I’m just the messenger,” he said.

Kyouya scowled at him. He tried to parse out what kind of message would make Nana weep like this. He vaguely remembered Tsuna mentioning something about this happening, about Xanxus telling her something, but he hadn’t been very interested at the time, and Tsuna hadn’t been _that_ specific. Tsuna had left his company only fifteen minutes ago, so it was unlikely he was the cause of these tears. Who else did she care for? Those children? But no, they were most likely safe, they were here in Namimori after all.

Her husband?

He looked at her. He looked at Xanxus. He looked at her again. “What message?”

Nana chose that moment to lower her hands. Her face was red and wet from her tears; her eyes were puffy, “Iemitsu’s a criminal!” she cried, “He’s in the mafia, and he’s in danger all the time, and he never told me? And now he wants Tsuna to be in the mafia too? He wants Tsuna to be a criminal? He wants Tsuna to kill people?”

Kyouya rocked back on his heels. So it _was_ a message about her husband, just not the one he suspected. 

Nana wiped at her face with her hands and said tearfully to Kyouya, “Kyouya-kun, did you know? Did you know what they wanted to do to Tsuna?”

He kept his expression blank, but he couldn’t help his hand tightening at his side, flexing briefly into a fist. He’d known, all right. He’d known, and he didn’t much care for it either. Tsuna was of Namimori and, as such, belonged here and belonged to Kyouya. He knew that Tsuna, like others who lived here, could leave any time he wanted to. Kyouya wouldn’t _keep_ people here against their will.

But he knew that what was happening to Tsuna wasn’t his choice either. 

“He doesn’t want to do it,” Kyouya found himself saying, “He isn’t interested in joining the mafia. Stronger individuals have pressured him into it.” His gaze moved to Xanxus, who hadn’t moved.

Nana also looked at Xanxus, “Are you going to make him do it, Xanxus? Are you going to make him join the mafia and kill people and-and do whatever mafia people do? Like- like blackmail people and th-threaten them and other terrible things?”

Xanxus shrugged. Nana blinked at him, fresh tears running down her face. 

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“I’m here because my boss sent me to help...unlock his potential or some shit,” Xanxus waved a hand noncommittally, and Kyouya knew instantly that what he wasn’t talking about was the flames. Tsuna _had_ said Xanxus was here to be his cloud guardian. He remembered that from his frantic conversation earlier. Kyouya watched him carefully; if Xanxus hadn’t told her about the flames, what else could he have left out? 

“It was made very clear to me that I was not to go back to Italy until I’d done everything I could,” Xanxus said, “And even then, it’s likely there would be consequences if I failed. Nono wants Tsuna to be his successor. His only other alternative is, well, unwilling to do it. And unable, though that _could_ be changed.”

Nana visibly gripped her hands into fists as if clinging to this thread of hope now dangling before her. Her expression of desperation made Kyouya feel uneasy, and he slid back a half step. She was so much more emotional than he usually tolerated in people around him, but he couldn’t just _leave._ He had to fight Xanxus; it was what he was here to do. But he couldn’t just break him out of this conversation, either. 

Kyouya didn’t know enough about the situation, not really. Reborn didn’t talk about it much, and Tsuna refused to learn anything or retain what he Reborn told him. Kyouya’s efforts to dig up the truth had yet to bear fruit. Xanxus was a valuable source of information.

Which meant he _would_ keep him around after biting him to death. He’d extract that information out of him one way or another.

“Who?” Nana leaned forward in her seat, almost sliding off of it, “Who could it be, Xanxus? Who could take Tsuna’s place? He’s just a little boy, Xanxus, he shouldn't get wrapped up in all this. He should be worrying about school and friends, not how to be a crime lord! If there’s someone else- Anyone else-”

Xanxus took in a deep breath and let it out, “Technically, Iemitsu could. He’s got the right blood. He’s just part of a side organization that can’t directly inherit power. If he renounced that position, however, and dealt with who knows what kind of opposition he would face, _he_ could be the next leader. It’s only a temporary stopgap, though. Eventually, the title and the power will be passed onwards. And it is, unfortunately, based on bloodline. So unless Iemitsu has another wife and child somewhere, Tsuna’s destined to sit in the Vongola seat. It’s just a question of if he’s Decimo or Undicesimo.”

The color had completely drained out of Nana’s face by the time Xanxus stopped talking. 

The tears still fell, of course, dropping from her cheeks in a steady stream, but she didn’t move to wipe them away. She didn’t move at all. She just stared at Xanxus while he spoke.

When he’d gone silent, she licked her lips and asked softly, “Did he know? When he married me- When we had Tsuna- Did he know that?”

“You’d have to ask him,” Xanxus said with a shrug. “I don’t know him well enough to answer that. Honestly, I spend very little time around him. We’re from two different side organizations that are separate from but still connected to the main Vongola family. We’re not close.”

Nana stood abruptly. She wiped at her face with hands that shook. She suddenly looked at Kyouya, as if seeing him there for the first time, “I’m sorry, Kyouya-kun, I didn’t greet you properly earlier. Will you be staying long? Would you like some tea?”

He shook his head and looked pointedly at Xanxus. “I’m here for him.”

Nana half turned towards Xanxus, but he put up a hand before she even asked her question, “I’m fine, Nana. And I have a feeling I know what Kyouya here wants from me.” He flashed him a smile that was more teeth than friendliness.

Kyouya felt the hair rise on the back of his neck. _Who does he think that he is, being so familiar with my name?_

“All right,” Nana said quietly, “Please excuse me then. I- I need to go make a phone call.” She walked quickly out of the room, vanishing into the hall.

As her footsteps receded into silence, Kyouya turned to face Xanxus directly. 

“Outside,” Kyouya said, “I came here to-”

“Bite me to death, yeah yeah,” Xanxus said with a sigh. He stood up slowly, stretching his arms above his head and rolling his shoulders. Kyouya saw the holsters under his open jacket; he knew Xanxus was carrying a gun, but it was a bit surprising to see two of them. They also looked a little larger than typical pistols, not that Kyouya knew too much about the size of such weapons. Guns were too impersonal and too quick to kill. You couldn’t fight with a gun, not really. Not _properly._

“Let’s go into the yard then,” Xanxus said. He crossed the room, walking past Kyouya and putting his back to him as he went through the door. Kyouya turned to watch him leave and then followed him out.

* * *

Kyouya ended up standing across the yard from Xanxus, tonfas in hand, watching him intently. Xanxus still had no weapon, only empty hands and a sharp look in his eyes. 

He wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about fighting someone unarmed. True, he’d already instigated one such fight with him, but that was different. Namimori’s schools were places for students only, and this man was no student. That was disciplinary action. This was something else.

“Draw your weapon,” Kyouya said. 

Xanxus arched one eyebrow. _Make me,_ his expression said. “No,” is what he actually said. 

Kyouya stood still for another half-second, just in case Xanxus stopped being an idiot and decided to take this seriously. He didn’t of course. He just stood there, waiting. 

Wordlessly, Kyouya sprang forward to attack. 

At first, the fight went much like the one before. Xanxus avoided Kyouya's attacks with quick turns and deflection from his arms. Kyouya increased his strength, increased his speed, until his narrow misses started to hit. He _knew_ it had to hurt. He _knew_ that Xanxus had to be feeling some pain. He was going to end up with more bruised skin than unbruised skin by the end of this. Kyouya would have no sympathy for him.

And then, after catching Kyouya’s tonfa on the back of one wrist, Xanxus turned his hand and gripped the wooden weapon before Kyouya could even begin to pull it back. Xanxus began to twist the tonfa, making Kyouya’s arm follow rather than drop the weapon. He swung in with his second tonfa, aiming for the elbow, but Xanxus leaned in at the last moment, and the tonfa hit his upper arm instead.

Not a second later, Kyouya felt a foot behind his ankle, and he abruptly realized a few things as his leg got pulled out from under him.

The first was that Xanxus was tall. Very tall, in fact, nearly a foot taller than Kyouya himself. The second was that Xanxus’s quick footwork spoke to a skill with his legs and feet that he hadn’t utilized in aggressive action. Kyouya should have noticed that earlier. The third was that Xanxus was stronger than he’d previously thought- he could not pull his tonfa out of Xanxus’s grip and when he resisted the leg behind his own, Xanxus didn’t even budge. 

And the fourth was that even without a weapon in his hands, he should not consider Xanxus anything less than a true carnivore. The gleam in his eyes and the partially upturned corner of his lips showed that this was _amusing_ to him, not threatening, not worrying, not dangerous. He looked like he was playing a game. 

Xanxus was _toying with him._

Xanxus’s kick dropped him to his back, and he let go of the tonfa so that Kyouya fell without being caught. He bared his teeth up at Xanxus, twisting and rolling away so he could get swiftly back to his feet. 

Further proof of his fourth point was that Xanxus didn’t pursue him. He didn’t press the brief advantage he’d gained in laying Kyouya down. He just stepped back and lifted one arm defensively, waiting with a half-smile on his lips.

“Come on then,” Xanxus said when Kyouya didn’t immediately spring at him again, “Don’t tell me that’s all you’ve got in your bite, Kyouya.”

“I did not give you permission to use my name,” Kyouya snapped at him. He took a few steps forwards but quickly moved to the side, circling Xanxus. Xanxus turned to keep facing him, never letting Kyouya leave his sight. 

“Would you prefer a nickname? A pet name?” Xanxus said, and there was a strange lilt in his voice- not one Kyouya ever heard directed at him but one he’d overheard from herbivores talking to each other. “I can certainly come up with something that suits you that’s only slightly embarrassing if given enough time.”

Xanxus was _teasing_ him. 

Kyouya launched himself forward, fury caught in his throat. No one _teased_ him. That was simply not allowed. He added that anger to his attacks, aiming lower now, trying to get around Xanxus’s guard to hit kidneys or other unprotected organs. Except Kyouya's strikes never hit where he wanted them to. Xanxus’s guard was always closed. There weren’t any gaps- he turned too quickly, his arms were in the way of a tonfa, and Kyouya had to be careful of his hands. 

He couldn’t even aim for Xanxus’s fingers, to try and break them, because somehow he’d hit palm instead, and those fingers would curl around tonfa and _pull._ Then it became a struggle just to keep his grip. A struggle that Kyouya thought he might actually lose in this instance as he felt the grip of his tonfa slowly turn under his fingers. 

“A question for you, Kyouya,” Xanxus said, leaning in over where their hands were locked on the same tonfa, “Do you want to know how to spice up an arm-wrestling match?”

“What?” Kyouya replied. Xanxus suddenly turned his grip, twisting toward Kyouya instead of away and locking his arm around Kyouya’s. His other hand reached over Kyouya’s head, gripping him by his jacket and shirt collar. 

As Xanxus’s shoulder turned towards him, Kyouya suddenly realized that he was about to be picked up and tossed- he could feel his feet leave the ground, feel the pull on his shirt and arm, and feel Xanxus’s shoulder press into his chest-

He was in the air again, seeing the blue sky above, absently noticing heavy clouds moving in, darkening the world by blotting out the sun. Then his back hit the ground for the second time. He landed harder this time, winded briefly as a shadow crossed over him. Xanxus’s shadow.

“When you get into an arm-wrestling match that starts to get boring,” Xanxus said above him, “Grab the other bastard and toss him through the nearest table. It always livens things up.”

It took a moment for the words to sink in, and then Kyouya felt a new bite of fury in his chest. He rolled over, pushed himself up, and staggered to his feet. He’d barely gotten hit at all, but he still felt like he was the one losing here! He had to have turned Xanxus’s arms and shoulders into nothing but purple wounds! 

And _Xanxus_ was the one saying that this was _getting boring?_

“You’re not so bad, Kyouya,” Xanxus said as he rolled out his shoulders. “You can definitely get better, but right now, you really aren’t so bad.”

Kyouya wanted to spit. “If you’re bored with this,” he snapped, “You know how to raise the stakes.” He looked pointedly to one of the holsters on Xanxus’s chest, even though he couldn’t currently see it under his jacket.

Xanxus cocked his head to the side, “Now, now, if you can’t make me draw my weapon in defense of my life, you certainly don’t want me to draw it because I’m getting bored. My aim is always a little strange when I get bored.”

He lifted his hand, making a gun gesture with his thumb up and two fingers extended. He pointed it towards Kyouya’s chest and then dropped it down to his leg, “I stop going for kill shots and start seeing how much pain I can bring. Everyone has a point where they’ll beg for their mother, even if she’s already long dead.”

A chill ran down Kyouya’s spine, but he didn’t let it turn into fear. He didn’t let Xanxus’s words get to him. There was too much light in Xanxus’s eyes for his words to be anything but teasing. 

“Fine then,” Kyouya muttered, “I’ll bite you until you fear for your life.”

Xanxus laughed. 

Kyouya rushed forward and, while Xanxus was distracted with his laughter, managed to get into his personal space and strike him hard across the ribs. Xanxus stopped laughing, which brought a smirk to Kyouya’s face, but then he struck out with the heel of his hand. He hit the outside of Kyouya’s elbow hard, making it go briefly numb as Kyouya danced back and out of range again. He shook his arm, gritted his teeth together, and went in for another attack.

Xanxus did more than dodge and absorb blows now. He struck back, quick movements with the heel of his hand or his knee, making Kyouya have to dodge or block or get struck himself to hit Xanxus at all. 

It wasn’t long before they were exchanging blows up close, barely pulling away, shifting back and forth only a few steps in either direction. Xanxus had stopped grabbing the tonfas or Kyouya, but now he was beginning to ache from bruises left behind when Xanxus’s heel or knuckles or kneecaps connected to his body. Kyouya’s blood pounded in his ears. This feeling was _exactly_ what he was looking for, an exchange that was longer than a few seconds, a fight that pushed him closer and closer to his limits. 

And then Xanxus managed to land his elbow _hard_ into Kyouya’s side. He felt his ribs bend, could almost hear them crack, and stars danced up his vision for a brief second. He pulled back, disengaging from Xanxus, expecting him to make it easy to do so like he had all those times before. Only this time Xanxus followed him, pursuing him back across the yard, his feet stepping between and behind Kyouya’s to trip him up, his fist hitting Kyouya’s side twice more before he could block it. 

A curl of panic rose from his gut. Kyouya viciously stamped it down and pressed in for another attack, stomping down on Xanxus’s foot with his heel, only to find it had moved. He ground his heel into the ground anyway and steadied himself, attacking with tonfas, swinging as hard as he could. He didn’t care so much _where_ he hit anymore, just _that_ he hit and that when it hit, it _hurt._

He heard the most satisfying crunch when he brought his tonfa down and hit Xanxus’s hand. That, he knew well, was the sound of a broken bone. The first one, perhaps, but if Kyouya had anything to say about it, it wouldn’t be the last. 

He whirled to follow up that strike with another one. Xanxus crossed his own body with the injured hand catching the brunt of that hit. He grunted, teeth bared as he leaned in. “All right, Kyouya,” Xanxus snarled out, “That’s enough of this.”

“No,” Kyouya said. He could taste blood in his mouth. Had he bitten his tongue? Was his lip split? Everything was a feverish blur of fighting, a glorious haze of battle and bloodlust. He could still stand. He could still fight. Xanxus had plenty of energy too- there was no reason to stop now, not over one little broken bone. 

“Yes,” Xanxus said, and he pulled on the tonfa. Kyouya resisted, of course, twisting to pull out of his grip. Xanxus let go more easily than he expected, making him stagger back half a step, only to feel Xanxus’s hand grip his forearm and pull on him again, harder than before. He turned as he did it, sending Kyouya staggering forward. 

Kyouya caught motion in the corner of his eye as he passed Xanxus, his hand moving quickly, and he twisted his body to avoid a strike for his briefly exposed side that never came. As he turned, he saw Xanxus pull his hand out from under his jacket. It was not empty.

This moment was not the first time that Kyouya had seen a gun up close, so he didn’t freeze up at the sight of it. It wasn’t even pointed at him, either. No, he realized a half-second too late that Xanxus wasn’t going to shoot him. He instead slammed the butt of the weapon against the back of Kyouya’s head. 

Kyouya’s vision turned into bursts of color with darkness around the edges as he stumbled forward, suddenly weak-kneed. He landed hard on the ground, holding himself up with his hands, panting and nauseated as he waited for his vision to clear.

When it had, he was acutely aware that Xanxus stood behind him. And that gun _was_ pointed at him.

Pressed against the back of his head, to be precise. Right over his cerebellum. 

Kyouya went still.

“You know,” Xanxus said. He breathed heavily. Kyouya felt a vicious pride at that. He’d made Xanxus work for this in the end. He’d made him draw his gun. “I could solve a lot of problems if I went ahead and put you down right now, Kyouya.” 

There was a metallic click from behind his head. Kyouya wasn’t about to plead for his life even if he felt a cold certainty seeping into his guts. He bit his tongue to keep silent.

“The reward wouldn’t be in cash, unfortunately. You’re just a bit too young and unknown for your head to be worth anything to anyone of note, but give it five years, ten years max, and you’ll be worth a couple million easily.” Xanxus’s tone of voice had gone strangely flat. Kyouya found it impossible to read. That bothered him. Xanxus seemed like the kind to boast or gloat _after_ his victory was assured. He wouldn’t be making the single greatest mistake and taking time to chat before actually claiming his victory, would he?

“No, the reward would be from Nono himself,” Xanxus continued, “See, you’re in the way of his grand scheme of making Tsuna his successor. Nono is not a man who lets something minor like someone’s life get in the way of the things he wants.” He pressed the gun a little harder against Kyouya’s head.

Kyouya resisted the pressure, pushing back, refusing to bend over and be shot like a dog. He shifted his legs, working on getting his feet underneath himself. He might not be able to move faster than a gunshot, but if he could catch Xanxus off guard…

“Of course-”

Xanxus’s voice got cut off when another voice shouted at them from the side. “Xanxus!” 

Kyouya tensed. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Nana approaching, one hand a tight in a fist at her chest, “Please, Xanxus, don’t do it!”

_Now,_ Kyouya’s legs tensed. He turned and started to stand at the same movement. Nana would be the distraction that-

He saw Xanxus looking at him, gaze unwavering, that half-smile on his lips but his eyes flat and emotionless. His hand rose and fell in a second.

Kyouya dropped before he could have another thought.


	5. Bonds Formed and Forming

“Kyouya!” Nana shouted, running across the yard.

Xanxus watched Kyouya slump over into an unconscious heap. He double-checked the safety on his gun and holstered it. He took a step back as Nana dropped to her knees beside Kyouya and turned him gently onto his side. She was crying again, he noticed. That wasn’t surprising, though. She seemed like the type.

He looked at his hand and the two broken fingers. They ached, of course, but he didn’t think it was a bad break. It was going to be annoying to deal with, but at least it was his non-dominant hand.

“How could you do this to him?” Nana demanded. She’d pulled Kyouya into her lap, and was holding onto him with the expression of grief and anger that mothers weeping over their children have worn for years. “How could you beat him like this?”

“How could _I_ beat _him?”_ Xanxus retorted, “He wasn’t going to stop until I put him down. Just be fucking grateful I didn’t put a hole in the back of his skull.”

“Why _didn’t_ you, Xanxus?”

Xanxus froze up, even as Nana pulled Kyouya closer to herself, glaring at him. He turned slowly to look down at Reborn, who stood a few feet off, watching with a curiously blank expression.

“When you figured out he was in the way of Nono’s plan, why didn’t _you?”_ Xanxus countered.

Reborn blinked once, slowly, “I’m contracted to teach Tsuna to be capable of becoming the Decimo.”

Xanxus opened his mouth to retort and then stopped himself. He stared at Reborn hard. He slowly repeated back the words, “Contracted to teach Tsuna to be _capable of becoming_ the Decmio?”

“Those are the precise words of the contract, yes. It’s a similar position I’ve taken before. Being a teacher suits me, don’t you think?”

“And you’ll have succeeded your contract when Tsuna is competent enough to become Decimo,” Xanxus said, rewording it carefully, just to be sure he understood Reborn correctly.

“Exactly that,” Reborn said with a small smile. “I see you understand.”

“Oh hell,” Xanxus muttered and ran his hand down his face. “You said there were two suns and that not all of the guardians attended the school. _Fuck.”_

“You really are quite clever, Xanxus,” Reborn said, sounding pleased. 

“What is going on?” Nana asked. She’d stopped crying so hard and now looked at them in confusion. “Reborn?”

“Mama,” Reborn addressed her, “Let Xanxus carry Hibari into the house, would you? I don’t suggest being nearby when he wakes up, lest he lashes out before he realizes what’s going on.”

“But Xanxus-”

_“Did not shoot Hibari,”_ Reborn interrupted her with a firm voice, “He could have. He could have done it long before you arrived, and he could have done it that moment when Hibari turned on him at the end. But he did not. I’m sure Xanxus has his reasons for that which he may or may not share with us, but I, for one, am confident that he’s unlikely to hurt him now. Also, Xanxus needs ice for his hand.”

Nana blinked a few times and looked helplessly up at Xanxus. “You won’t hurt him anymore?”

Xanxus sighed, “He _instigated_ this fight, Nana. I’m pretty sure he gets off on them to some degree.” That made her blush a little bit, and he ignored as he crouched down, “Give him over, and I'll get him inside.” 

She helped him lift Kyouya off the ground. He was lighter than Xanxus remembered him being during the fight. It made it easier to carry him, at least, one hand behind his back, the other under his knees with Kyouya’s head against his shoulder.

He headed to the front door, which Nana opened up for him. He brought Kyouya into the front room and lay him down on the couch. He still clutched his tonfas in his hands, which amused Xanxus quite a bit. He peeled Kyouya’s fingers off the grips and lay them on the floor beside the couch. 

Nana hovered behind him, anxiously looking on, “Is he going to be okay? He looks so hurt- Is he sleeping? Xanxus-”

“He might have a concussion,” Xanxus muttered, “But he might not. He’ll need to get to a doctor in either case, just to be sure.”

“Should I call the ambulance?” She said, “Not the emergency line but just the regular hospital line?”

“Why don’t you do that, Mama,” Reborn said from where he now stood at the end of the couch, near Kyouya’s feet. “I’ll stay here with Xanxus and Kyouya.”

She gave them both a frantic look and then hurried out of the room.

Xanxus looked at Reborn. Reborn cooly met his gaze.

They were silent for a while before Xanxus sighed and looked down at Kyouya. He sat on the floor beside the couch with one knee bent up to his chest. He rested his chin in his palm and his elbow on his knee. Kyouya looked peaceful in unconsciousness, though Xanxus had seen very few people who didn’t. There was a bruise on his cheek and a lump on his temple, but otherwise, his face remained unmarred. 

Well, except for the drying blood on his split lip. 

“You know,” Xanxus said conversationally, “I tried not to think too much about what kind of sky I’d end up bonding with. I always had a feeling it wouldn’t be my choice, in the end.”

“Do you intend to carry out Nono’s orders and bond with Tsuna?” Reborn asked. 

Xanxus rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand, hissing when his broken fingers throbbed at the movement. “I don’t fucking know,” he admitted, “I don’t want to. I want to…” he let the words trail off. He didn’t need to say them. He was sure Reborn could tell.

He wanted to bond with Kyouya. 

The only warning he got that Kyouya was awake was a somewhat more shallow movement to his chest. An instant later, Kyouya’s eyes were open, and he’d twisted around, half lunging for Xanxus, half rolling off the couch. 

Xanxus caught Kyouya’s wrists, hissing as his broken fingers complained. 

“You-” Kyouya snarled at him.

“Calm down,” Xanxus said, trying to push him back down onto the couch. “The fight’s over, Kyouya. Nana’s called an ambulance for you. I hit you twice over the head, and you need to get looked at to make sure there’s nothing serious.”

“You were going to kill me,” Kyouya said, his eyes were wide. “You were- You-”

“It’s all right,” Xanxus murmured. Kyouya lay back slowly, resisting the whole way, but ultimately becoming lax on the cushions. Xanxus didn’t let go of Kyouya’s arms even after he was lying down again. “You’re all right.”

“What happened?” Kyouya asked, his voice quiet. “You said you were going to kill me.”

“I said I could,” Xanxus said, “And I still could. But I’m not going to.”

Kyouya blinked at him. “Why?”

Xanxus sighed and looked away. “I don’t want to, and no one’s paid me to do it, so I don’t have to, either.”

There was some silence for a bit, and then, Kyouya’s voice was soft as he asked, “Is that what you do? You’re a hired killer?”

“Yup,” Xanxus said, popping the ‘p’ hard with his lips. “That’s me. Xanxus, cloud guardian candidate of the assassin organization known as the Varia, a vaguely Vongola related organization under the current leadership of Tyr, the sword emperor.”

There was silence. Xanxus turned his head to look at Kyouya and found him staring blankly. 

“...You don’t know what most of that even means, do you?” Xanxus asked. 

Kyouya’s lips pressed into a thin line of annoyance. Xanxus sighed heavily. That was going to be a problem. He had a lot to tell them if he was going to protect them from the Vongola.

And he was going to protect them, wasn’t he? _Fuck._

“Your eyes,” Kyouya said. His hand moved again and Xanxus let go of his wrist so he could reach over without hindrance. His fingertips rested underneath Xanxus’s left eye. Kyouya’s touch was warmer than he expected it to be. 

Xanxus blinked at him in surprise. His breath caught in his throat as he met Kyouya’s gaze and saw the gleam of orange flame lingering there. “Kyouya,” he whispered, leaning into the touch of his fingers.

“They’re purple,” Kyouya said, continuing with his previous thought. 

“Not always,” Xanxus said. 

“Mm,” Kyouya responded. He pressed his palm against Xanxus’s cheek, forcing his head to turn more to one side. 

Xanxus held his breath and watched him, barely able to blink. He let his head be turned. He didn’t pull away when Kyouya’s hand slid up the side of his face, fingers threading through his hair. He didn’t resist when Kyouya grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled his head the other way.

Kyouya glared at him when he finally relaxed his grip. 

“Why?” he demanded.

“Why what?” Xanxus asked. He could feel his body relaxing unnaturally quickly. He felt a drowsiness come over him that he _knew_ was unusual but he couldn’t resist it. Even when it made him slur his words together like he’d been the one struck over the head.

“Explain what you are doing here,” Kyouya said, “Your actions have stopped making any sense.”

“He’s drunk on your flames, Hibari,” Reborn said from the end of the couch. He’d never gone anywhere, of course, but Xanxus had completely forgotten about him. It wasn’t that he wasn’t a threat- Reborn would be the type to remain a threat even after he died- but Xanxus didn’t worry about him. Couldn’t worry about him. 

“Explain _that,”_ Kyouya demanded of Reborn. He pulled his hand away from Xanxus, who instinctively went after it and ended up leaning his head on the couch next to Kyouya’s body because of it. Kyouya pushed himself up onto his elbows, grimacing, touching his own head. 

“The strength of one’s flames and the nature of the bond between the two users can affect how they behave during a bonding. Remember how Tsuna passed out in your lap? Harmonizing with you brings a particular type of relaxation to your guardian.” Reborn sounded amused as he tacked onto the end, “It’s like your flames force them to take a nap with you in a show of trust and harmony.”

“A nap sounds good,” Xanxus mumbled, eyes mostly closed now. He wasn’t _touching_ Kyouya, but he had already had that skin to skin contact to initiate the bond. He smiled, mostly to himself. Nono was going to shit himself when word got back-

“Another bond?” Kyouya muttered. He’d pushed himself up into a sitting position and glared down at Xanxus, “You wanted to kill me. Why would I want to bond with you?”

“I didn’t want to kill you,” Xanxus replied. He hoped that Kyouya would understand that soon so he didn’t have to keep repeating himself. “I said it would fix problems for _Nono_ if I did. You’ve fucked with his plans big time and he’s not gonna like it when he finds out what’s going on here.” He lazily reached out a hand and patted Kyouya on the knee, “You’re going to have to get a lot stronger to protect our people from the Vongola. A _lot_ stronger, Kyouya.”

There was a long pause after Xanxus said that. He didn’t mind, though. Kyouya could think it through for as long as he needed to. Xanxus was barely awake as it was. Despite his broken fingers, despite the dull aching of his arms and sides, he was content and warm. Kyouya was a strong sky; his flames had to be at least as strong as Xanxus’s were now. Perhaps he’d even grow stronger if someone was here to push him past his limits.

_Someone like me,_ Xanxus thought with a smile. He could help with that. He could push Kyouya. And he could protect him while he grew, too. 

Somewhere between that smile and when Nana came back in a few minutes later, Xanxus fell asleep, unaware of the world that continued on above his head.

* * *

_Our people?_ Kyouya wanted to ask the question, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. He just stared down at the man who had so quickly walked into his life, kicking up dust, agitating everyone around him including Kyouya himself, only to so passively, so _trustingly_ curl up near Kyouya’s side and _fall asleep._

The fight with him had been infuriating in various ways at the time, but in hindsight, Kyouya only felt, well, pleased with it. It had been a different sort of fight. Xanxus was older than him, stronger than him, maybe not faster but more experienced. He wanted to get _some_ weapon into his hand, if not his guns, to see what he could do and fight him again. 

Cautiously, because Kyouya knew how irritating it was to be woken from a nap just begun, he lifted his hand and brought it closer to Xanxus. He let it hover there above his head for a moment and then, slowly, let it settle. Xanxus wasn’t cute like a little animal, not the way the others were, but his face was still young and, while relaxed in his sleep, looked younger still. And his hair was thick and not as rough as Kyouya had anticipated it to be. Whatever he used to style it didn’t leave it hard to the touch.

“Congratulations on a full guardianship,” Reborn said. He’d settled down on the arm of the couch, a cup of coffee produced from somewhere and steaming in his hands. 

Kyouya shot him a look but he couldn’t see anything but sincerity in the baby. 

“Xanxus is quite the catch,” Reborn continued as if the glare was a look of inquiry, “He was personally raised by the cloud guardian of the Ninth after he was discovered wielding cloud flames at the tender age of, oh, six or seven I think. He’s been Vongola ever since then; attended the mafia schools, took work from the Vongola, joined the Varia, and rose through those ranks quickly. He’s not exactly a hitman type killer, but he’s pretty close. I doubt you’d find a stronger cloud that isn’t also ten years older than he is. Clouds tend to develop quickly and grow stronger over time.”

Kyouya frowned at Reborn. Then he frowned at Xanxus. Xanxus was different from all the others that crowded him. He saw things differently. He behaved differently. He came from a world that Kyouya did not understand and didn’t particularly like.

“He’ll be handy to have around,” Reborn said, “Especially if things continue the way they’re headed.”

Kyouya tensed up at those words. Reborn was often cryptic and ominous, but not generally with Kyouya. That was something he seemed to save mostly for Tsuna or those immediately around him, to get the biggest reaction.

“And which way is that?” Kyouya asked.

Before Reborn answered, however, Nana appeared in the doorway. “Kyouya-kun,” she said, “Reborn, the paramedics are here for you and…” her gaze dropped to Xanxus and a strange expression crossed her face. “Is Xanxus asleep?”

“Just a bit of a nap, Mama,” Reborn said pleasantly, “He must still be somewhat jet-lagged. After all, Italy is seven hours behind us.”

“Oh,” she said, “Well, the medics are here.”

Kyouya sighed. He would go with them but only because his head _really_ hurt.

He slid his hand from Xanxus’s hair to his shoulder, shaking him awake. He watched him carefully, ready to defend himself if Xanxus lashed out when woken abruptly.

Xanxus’s head turned and he gave a sleepy mumble that might’ve potentially been words but was completely unintelligible. Kyouya shook him a little harder to get him to wake up. Xanxus pressed his forehead to Kyouya’s forearm, mumbled something else, and then, when Kyouya shook him a third time, finally lifted his head.

He looked dazed and unaware of his surroundings. Kyouya frowned at him and then asked Reborn, “How long is he going to be like this?”

“Not sure,” Reborn said, “Best to stay with him until he comes around.”

The medics had arrived by then, with Nana trailing behind them. They both bowed to Kyouya, who vaguely recognized them from the various other times the ambulance had been called to clean up herbivores Kyouya had to discipline. Even though he knew them and trusted them, Kyouya rested his hand protectively on the back of Xanxus’s neck. There was something terribly vulnerable about Xanxus right now and Kyouya kind of wished that no one was there besides him. Xanxus didn’t seem inclined to move on his own, just rested his cheek against Kyouya’s arm, and remained where he was. 

Very briefly, Kyouya gave the first medic a rundown of their combined injuries. They insisted he had his head checked, especially when it was mentioned he lost consciousness, so Kyouya got up off the couch with only a little difficulty. That difficulty being that he didn’t exactly want to let go of Xanxus and Xanxus very clearly didn’t want to be let go of. 

The medics didn’t complain when he ended up walking Xanxus out with him. He had his own injuries to treat, after all. 

They ended up sitting on the stretcher in the ambulance as one medic went to drive and the other climbed into the back with them. They put an ice pack on Xanxus’s broken fingers and took some measurements of heart rate with a somewhat bemused expression.

Kyouya tolerated the poking and prodding, knowing it was only about to get worse. 

Xanxus leaned against his side, eyes mostly closed, breathing deep and even as if he were still asleep. Kyouya watched him while he slept. A nugget of worry had lodged itself into his chest, just below his heart and lungs. How long was Xanxus going to be like this? Reborn said it was based on the strength of their flames, right? Kyouya had been told he had strong ones and clearly Xanxus did as well…

“We’ll need the same room,” Kyouya told the medic before they reached the hospital. 

“Of course, Hibari-san.”


	6. Voice Messages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iemitsu missed a few phone calls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope yall liked all that fluff before. may it carry you through this chapter

There was nothing special about the morning where everything went to hell. There was no clue at all that when Iemitsu got into his office, the world as he knew it would be irreparably damaged.

Iemitsu got into the office late that morning, rubbing at his face with one hand and going straight for the coffee in the kitchenette. There was half of a pot still left, and he poured it into his favorite mug. Basil ducked into the room after him. Instead of his usual cheerful demeanor, there was a shadow over his face. 

“What happened?” Iemitsu asked in lieu of a greeting. Basil wasn’t holding any paperwork, which either meant that there wasn’t any related to his current mood or there was so much it was already on Iemitsu’s desk, waiting for him. “Is it Oregano?"

Basil shook his head. “No, Master,” he hesitated, nervously picking at the skin around his thumb. Iemitsu crossed the room and put his hand on Basil’s to get him to stop. 

“It can’t be that bad,” Iemitsu said, “Just tell me what it is.”

“There were some missed calls overnight,” Basil said. “Ah, about five, to be exact. Five missed calls and four messages to go with them.”

“Only four messages?”

“As far as I can tell,” Basil said, “The first call went to voicemail but disconnected before a message recorded.” He hesitated again, took in a deep breath, and then let it out, “They’re from Nana. All of them.”

Iemitsu was suddenly very glad he hadn’t tried to sip his coffee as he spluttered. “Nana? She called? Did she say why? When was it?”

“Around two in the morning, sir,” Basil said, “And I- I listened to the first message, to see if it was urgent, like you’ve asked me to before, sir, and I-” he bit his lip, “Well I couldn’t really make out what she was saying so I listened to the second one and, uh…”

“Spit it out, Basil,” Iemitsu snapped at him. “What was it about? Is she hurt? Is Tsuna okay? God, Reborn’s out there, isn’t he? Did he do or say something?”

“I think it’s best if you listened to the messages, sir,” Basil said, “I really do.” 

“Fine then,” Iemitsu said. Basil stepped aside for him, and he hurried out of the kitchenette and towards his proper office. The door was ajar as he approached, and he could hear a woman’s voice drifting out into the hallway. He frowned, wondering who could be using his office for a conversation, but as he opened the door and heard the voice properly, he recognized it as Nana’s.

Lal Mirch sat on the edge of his desk, next to his old-fashioned messaging machine, legs crossed at the knee, and a scowl on her face. She looked up as he pushed open the door.

“-believe it, I really don’t want to, Iemitsu,” Nana’s recorded voice was saying, only somewhat staticky. Iemitsu probably should’ve gone digital with the machine years ago, but he loved the nostalgic feeling of listening to Nana on it. He saved all of her voice mails on there to listen to later. “But everything he said made sense! And he had- he had pictures on his phone and messages he showed me- It all looks so real and why would he make this up? Why would he lie about it? Reborn seems to know him and trust him and Tsuna, oh Tsuna, how could you let this happen to Tsuna? How could you let them do this to him? He’s just a little boy, Iemitsu! He’s my little baby boy, and you’re trying to make him a _criminal?”_

Lal tapped the button on the machine, stopping the recording. She looked at Iemitsu, “Shall I start over from the beginning?” she asked, “I haven’t finished listening to all of it yet, but the first part isn’t a cake walk.”

Iemitsu felt numb. He slowly walked into the room and over to his desk. “What?”

Lal rolled her eyes at him, “Basil said Nana left a weird message and you were late coming in so I figured I’d take a listen. Weird is a fucking understatement,” she said this to Basil who hunched his shoulders, staring at the ground.

Iemitsu couldn’t even bring himself to tell her to leave Basil alone. He could only slowly walk around to his chair and sit down heavily. He put his mug down in its usual spot, feeling somehow distant from everything. “Someone told her-” he said, “Someone…” his first thought was that it had to be Reborn.

All the reports coming in from Reborn had gotten more and more terse. The situation was foggy with Tsuna and Iemitsu had just about had enough of the non-answers that were sent back in reply to any questions sent to him. All he really knew was that there had been more than a few speed bumps to Reborn’s tutoring and he’d had to adjust expectations. Timoteo had mentioned something about sending a missing flame out there to help finalize Tsuna’s guardians but he hadn’t mentioned which flame he needed.

Iemitsu figured Timoteo wasn’t exactly thrilled with Iemitsu’s choice in lightning guardian for Tsuna, but he still thought that Timoteo would tell him who was missing so he could help find a substitution.

_If he didn’t consult me, then he must’ve sent someone himself. Which flame did Reborn say Tsuna was missing from his guardians? Wasn’t it mist or rain or-_

“I think she says who it is in the first message,” Lal said, “but she’s crying so hard it’s completely intelligible. Here.” She pressed another button and the blinking number on the recorder dropped by two. Then she pressed play.

Immediately the room was filled with the sound of Nana sobbing. 

Tears sprang to Iemitsu’s eyes as he reached for the machine, staring at it. In all the years he’d ever known her, he’d never heard her make such a sound before. It was absolutely heart wrenching. She sobbed so loudly over the phone that his chest ached in sympathy to her gasping breath. 

Lal was right, though, she was talking as she sobbed, or at least trying to. She kept saying someone had come- someone had come to the house. He couldn’t quite pick up the name though he thought it might’ve started with an S or a Z, perhaps even the TS sound? He just couldn’t tell it apart well enough. 

The message went on for two and a half minutes, her crying only getting worse, her explanation fading away into her tears until all she said was “Iemitsu, why? Why Iemitsu?” over and over.

Then the audio cut out and the room was drenched in silence.

“Nana,” Iemitsu said weakly, “Oh _Nana.”_

“She’s more coherent in the second one,” Lal murmured, “Well, at least she’s more understandable. I’m not sure coherent is exactly the word I would use for how she sounds.”

Defensively, Iemitsu said, “Don’t be cruel to Nana,” he frowned at Lal, who lifted one eyebrow as she looked back at him, “She’s incredibly sensitive,” he said, “And she must be out of her mind with worry and shock.”

“She’s not even here, Iemitsu,” Lal retorted. Before he could reply, though, she pressed play on the second message.

Nana’s breathing was audible still, deep calming breaths punctuated with hiccups and sniffling as she spoke quickly into the phone. “I’m sorry, Iemitsu,” she said, “I don’t know what to think, I really don’t. It all seems like a dream, almost. Everything was so normal and then all at once everything changed and my whole world was turned on its head- How could you never tell me? Why did no one ever tell me? Tsuna must have been so lonely and afraid- he had no one to talk to about this because you weren’t here and I didn’t know- I thought he was finally making friends, you know? He’s been doing better in school and making friends but they aren’t really his friends? Are they? Is any of it real? Is any of this real? Our wedding, my life, Tsuna’s life- Can I really trust this? Am I supposed to just keep going on like nothing changed? The children will come home from school and I’m supposed to make them snacks and tend the little ones as they play-” Her voice abruptly broke into a sob and she fought to control herself. It took several long seconds before she could breathe normally again.

“Little Lambo and I-pin too? Even them? They’re so young, Iemitsu, they’re just _babies._ Where are their parents? Are they dead? Is that why they’re here? Lambo said his family is all gone and I thought it was because he was away from them but is it because they’re _dead?_ What happened to their families? What happened to them? What did you do?”

Nana’s breathing had changed again, less hitching with tears and more ragged with her anger. She muttered something close to “I can’t _do_ this,” and the message ended.

Lal didn’t even hesitate, didn’t let him speak a word. She went to the next message and pressed play.

This time Nana was more calm but there was audible strain in her voice as she spoke. The tears seemed to have passed and were replaced with some other emotion he couldn’t identify over the recording. 

“Why couldn’t you just _tell me,_ Iemitsu? Why did you have to lie to me from the very beginning? Why didn’t you trust me with this? Why did you have to leave it to someone else to tell me? If it had been you- If it had been you at the very beginning I- I could have had time to come to terms with it. We could have talked about it. If I had known from the beginning, would you have left me here in Japan alone with Tsuna?” There was a pause here, the sound of her taking deep breaths and letting them out slowly.

“What am I supposed to think?” She asked, her voice trembling, “What am I supposed to do? Should I just believe him? I don’t want to believe it, I really don’t want to, Iemitsu. But everything he said made sense!

“And he had- he had pictures on his phone and messages he showed me- It all looks so real and why would he make this up? Why would he lie about it? Reborn seems to know him and trust him and Tsuna, oh Tsuna, how could you let this happen to Tsuna?” Here, like before, her voice began to rise, to become more hysterical. “How could you let them do this to him? He’s just a little boy, Iemitsu! He’s my little baby boy and you’re trying to make him a _criminal?_ You want to make him _a killer?_

“All those times he’s come home black and blue, scuffed up and bleeding and so hurt. They said it was just sports, just playing rough outside! I didn’t question it because all the boys came back looking like that at one time or another. But Reborn’s teaching him how to fight, isn’t he? He’s teaching him how to do terrible things and hurt people, isn’t he? Why did you let this happen? How could you let this happen? He’s our son, Iemitsu! Our _son!”_

As she went silent, breathing heavily on the phone, the message cut out again. 

Iemitsu sat with his head in his hands now. He was a stormcloud of emotions and none of them were good. He was going to find out who told her all of this and he was going to wring their neck. He’d talk to Timoteo, see if he could have the mist guardian fix this somehow. Nana was never supposed to know- She was supposed to stay innocent through it all. That’s why he didn’t want Tsuna to be Decimo. That’s why he thought Timoteo should have picked someone else! Who cares if they couldn’t wear the rings? What did they even matter, really? What use were they, really? 

_His son_ wasn’t supposed to get wrapped up in this!

“Last one,” Lal said, her voice flat. “Hopefully she actually says something useful this time.”

Iemitsu flinched. “Don’t-”

“Her emotional state isn’t useful, Iemtisu,” Lal said, “And everything she’s said about the kids or Reborn we already know. We’re at a disadvantage if we don’t know who told her all of this and, knowing you, you’re going to go there to try and fix it. What are you going to do if one of Nono’s own guardians was the one who told her everything? You can’t fight one of them and win, Iemitsu.”

Iemitsu buried his face in his arms. “Play it,” he muttered, “Just play the damn thing.”

The machine clicked twice and the final message began to play.

“Did you know?” Nana’s voice was full of accusation and anger, “Did you _know?_ When you married me, when you got me pregnant, when you hid me and Tsuna away from your whole world, did you _know_ that he could be the heir to this Vongola family? Did you know that? Did you do this _on purpose?_ Did you pick me because- because I was young and naive and believed your _stupid_ story about working on oil rigs and telling Tsuna you became a star and I tolerated how you just _vanished_ for years and I tolerated how you would come home and lay about drinking and making messes and doing _nothing_ to parent our son? Did Timoteo tell you to find a wife and get her pregnant and have a son so he could have a backup just in case all his sons died? Was Tsuna just a _spare?”_

Unlike when she became hysterical, Nana’s voice lowered as it got harder and angrier, “I won’t let you use him. I won’t let you take him. I don’t care who you are or who you work for or what I have to do to stop you and stop him from taking Tsuna and turning him into someone like you but I’ll do it. I’ll find a way to convince Reborn and Xanxus to help me do it, too. I don’t care who you think you are or what you think you can do, Iemitsu, but you _will not_ take Tsuna away from me!”

Iemitsu lifted his head and stared at the machine. Reborn’s name he expected but _Xanxus?_ No. _No._ He must have heard wrong.

“Don’t come home,” Nana said, “Don’t ever come back to Namimori. I don’t want to see you. Tsuna doesn’t want to see you. You’re not wanted here, Iemitsu. Stay the hell away from us.”

The message ended.

“Shit,” Lal muttered.

“Play it back,” he said, “The end there, play it back again.”

“It’s not going to change on a second listen,” Lal said.

“I didn’t hear her clearly,” he said, “I didn’t hear who she said was there with her-”

“She said Reborn and Xanxus,” Lal said. “Play it as many times as you like, Iemitsu, she was _very_ clear that time.”

“But Xanxus-” Iemitsu dragged his hands down his face. This couldn’t be happening. Why was Xanxus there? Of all the people to tell Nana anything- The boy had no tact. He had no compassion. He must have been so cruel to his poor Nana. “Xanxus is a monster,” he said.

Lal laughed, it was sharp and short and made Iemitsu wince, “He isn’t a nice guy, that’s for sure. Who knows what he told her? Especially with that bit at the end? I don’t know how you’re going to dig yourself out of this hole, Iemitsu.”

He sat there in silence for a minute. Lal didn’t wait for him to speak, though, she stood up and jumped down from his desk. She was almost to the door when he looked up.

“What are you going to go do?” he asked her.

Basil had stepped aside for her, had opened the door for her, but wasn’t looking at either of them. 

“Reborn’s been shifty on what’s going on out there,” she said, pausing at the door, “I’m going to see if one of us can get him to spill the beans. _Something_ is happening and these messages from your wife are only a symptom.” She then half turned, looking over her shoulder and said casually, “If Xanxus _is_ out there, I’d bring some backup with you. He’s not a man with many weak points, but crying mothers will get to just about everybody. You probably don’t want to chance it.”

Iemitsu swore under his breath as Lal turned and walked out of the room.

Basil quietly shut the door behind her but didn’t say anything. He still didn’t look up from the floor.

Iemitsu couldn’t help himself. He played back the end of the last message, listening for the names Nana spoke and hoping he really had misheard her. 

_Reborn and Xanxus,_ she said again as clear as could be. _Reborn and Xanxus._

_A hitman and an assassin,_ Iemitsu thought with a grimace, _that’s some welcome wagon._

He picked up his coffee and sipped it. “Basil?”

Basil jumped and looked up. Iemitsu blinked in surprise. Basil’s eyes were red-rimmed, his face damp from tears. He hastily wiped at his face and stood straighter, “Yes, Master?” 

“I need to speak to Timoteo,” he said, “The earlier, the better. And then I need a flight out of here to Japan.” He turned and looked at the papers at one side of his desk, flipping through them and grimacing. Most of his top people were out on work- _I should’ve told Lal to stay._ “See if Lal will come along or if she’s headed that way on her own, then get two tickets, one for you and I.”

“S-sir?” Basil stammered, eyes widening, “M-me?”

“Yes, you,” Iemitsu said, looking up from the pages and frowning, “Is something wrong with that?”

“But- Your wife- She said to stay away?”

“Yes, she did,” Iemitsu said, “But that’s not what she wants. I can’t fix this if I stay away, Basil, and you heard how upset she was. She needs me there to help fix this.”

Basil stared at him for a moment; mouth hung open slightly. Iemitsu scowled at him. “Go on,” he said, “I need to take care of this stuff as quickly as I can, so go do what I told you already, Basil. We’ll be out there for, say, a week. It never takes longer than a week.”

Basil snapped his mouth shut and nodded. Without another word, he turned and hurried out of Iemitsu’s office.

Sighing, Iemitsu rubbed the bridge of his nose. He looked down at the recording machine and, after a minute or two, he pushed the back button until he was at an older and more familiar message. Then he pressed play. He’d listen to it just once to calm himself down, and then he’d get to work. 

Just once, that’s all.

“Hi, honey!” Nana’s cheerful voice rang out. He could hear babbling in the background- it was Tsuna, of course- “It’s not an emergency,” she said, “But Tsu-kun just said his first word, and I wanted you to hear it!” Her voice became a little distant as she moved the phone closer to Tsuna and said, “Come on, Tsu-kun. Talk to daddy!” 

What followed was the babbling of a baby with, somewhere in the middle of it, a sort of understandable “Mama.” He could hear laughter, and Nana praising Tsuna. Iemitu’s heart melted. _This_ was the kind of message Nana should be leaving him. This was the Nana he knew and loved. This was the Nana he’d get back once he put everything back the way it should be.

He smiled at the sound of his little family, and then, as he’d told himself, he put aside the recording machine and got to work.


End file.
